The present invention relates to frames for the cutting units of reel mowers and more particularly relates to the mounting of bed knives to such frames.
The reel and bed knife of a cutting unit of a reel mower of the type used for mowing golf greens (commonly called greensmowers) are typically mounted in a frame defined by opposite vertical side plates joined together by horizontal cross frame members extending between and having their opposite ends welded or otherwise fixed to the side plates. A common way of mounting the bed knife is to provide a bed knife support having its opposite upright ends bolted to the side plates, with the bed knife being fixed against a substantially flat bottom surface of the bed knife support by a plurality of threaded fasteners such as screws.
A problem encountered in the manufacture of cutting units of the above-described type is that the assembly of the side plates and cross frame members sometimes results in the side plates being other than parallel to each other and perpendicular to the cross frame members. Then, when the bed knife support is fastened in place, that portion which includes the bottom surface is distorted resulting in the bed knife being distorted or bowed such that a proper clearance with the reel throughout the length of the bed knife is difficult to achieve.
It is an object of the invention to provide a cutting unit frame which is made in such a way as to avoid the aforementioned problem of bed knife distortion which occurs during the assembly of the bed knife and its support to the cutting unit frame.